The Rigors of Love
by FoldedHands
Summary: A collection of lighthearted Madoka oneshots centered on Kyoko, Sayaka, or both, from Kyoko and Sayaka sparring to Homura asking Kyoko for advice. Rated M for coarse language and adult themes in some of the stories.
1. At Any Cost

The old building had seen better days. It used to be a splendid church, and its grand sanctuary drew quite a large congregation of worshippers. But as members moved away or felt their faith dwindle, the condition of the church deteriorated until it was finally abandoned and left a rotting husk, filled with broken pews and detritus left by the occasional homeless squatter. It had been condemned for quite some time, but its demolition was a low priority on the city's budget.

Right now, though, the church was in immediate danger of being destroyed by a pair of teenage girls.

An onlooker would have been dumbfounded by the battle taking place in the derelict building. A redhead in a frilly crimson dress with an oversized spear was attacking a blue haired, sword wielding girl dressed in a cape and stylized knight-like outfit. The redhead spun her weapon around in a defensive flourish before leaping at her opponent with a two-handed overhead attack. The knight sprang backwards at least a dozen feet, leaving the spear to split a pew in half. The redhead didn't pause in her attack, but leapt towards her even faster than her opponent had jumped and rammed into the knight with her shoulder, sending her sprawling into the main aisle of the sanctuary. She didn't notice the gash in her arm until she was standing over her opponent—she was lucky that her reckless charge hadn't earned her a more serious injury.

Kyoko swung her spear around to place the tip at Sayaka's throat. "Give up."

The defeated Magical Girl glared up at her, defiant even in the face of death. "Never."

Kyoko grinned and tapped her spear point against Sayaka's breastbone. "Doesn't matter, I win anyway." She offered her hand to the newer Magical Girl, who accepted it only begrudgingly, and hauled Sayaka to her feet. "So you owe me dinner."

"That wasn't fair! We were supposed to only use our weapons! When did body contact become allowed?"

That smug grin of hers always got under Sayaka's skin. Kyoko knew it, and so used it as often as possible. "About two minutes ago."

Sayaka opened her mouth to fire off an angry retort when she noticed the bleeding cut on Kyoko's arm. Only her irritation at Kyoko had prevented her from spotting it sooner, which was impressive considering that half of Kyoko's arm was covered in blood by now. Sayaka's temper was replaced by worry so quickly that Kyoko was surprised she didn't get emotional whiplash. She grimaced. Now Sayaka was going to feel guilty, and start to fuss over her, and be generally unbearable. She preferred it when Sayaka was bickering.

"How did that—when—" Sayaka looked at her sword and noticed the thin red line along the edge and dropped it in shock. "Oh my god, Kyoko, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"Shut up, it's just a cut! It's already almost stopped bleedin' and it'll be healed in a couple of minutes. Jesus, I'm fine. Knock it off!"

Sayaka had cut a strip of cloth off of her cape and started wrapping it around Kyoko's arm. The makeshift bandage would only last until Sayaka dispelled her Magical Girl outfit, but should do until Kyoko's magic knitted the flesh back together. Kyoko grumbled the whole time but didn't stop her. She knew that the girl needed to nurture others; it was just in her nature.

It was one of the reasons she loved her.

* * *

When Sayaka had grudgingly gone to her senior to ask for combat advice, Kyoko had come up with this exercise as both a means of teaching her how to fight and motivating her to push herself harder and harder. So far, Sayaka had won their little sparring matches three times. Kyoko had won eleven. She always asked for food as her prize—usually a few days worth of snacks, but sometimes a full meal at a decent restaurant. It was getting to be too expensive to keep losing.

"Your problem," Kyoko said through a mouthful of udon, "is that you're too stiff. You got a lot of raw talent, and you got the ferocity to carry you through fights, but you can't adjust to the unexpected." She pointed with her chopsticks to emphasize her point. "Like when I charged you. I left myself wide open. If you could think on your feet, you'da won."

She had heard all of this before, and each time it grated on her nerves a little more; that Kyoko was absolutely right did nothing to improve Sayaka's mood. "And if you do it again, I'll be ready," she shot back.

Kyoko grinned. "Which is why I'll try something else you won't expect, and win again."

"Eventually you'll run out of new strategies."

"Maybe. And then maybe I won't be able to beat you. You do get better each time, I'll give you that." Kyoko set down her bowl and leaned across the table towards Sayaka, suddenly serious. "But if this was real, you'd be dead eleven times over. One day you're gonna come across a fight that you can't win directly, and if you can't come up with new strategies on the fly, you're gonna die."

Sayaka snorted. "That'd be a shame. Where would you get your free meals then?"

Kyoko laughed, but Sayaka could tell that it was forced. "Free? I work pretty fuckin' hard for these."

They lapsed into an uncomfortable silence that fed the guilt that Sayaka was already feeling over her poorly chosen remark. Kyoko was working on her second course when Sayaka finally spoke up. "I know you're trying to help—no, you have helped, a lot. I'm sorry for being a bitch about it."

That brought a real grin back to Kyoko's face. "No problem. I'll keep working with ya, and covering you on hunts, and before ya know it, you'll be as good as me." She paused halfway through finishing her tea. "Almost."

* * *

By the time they left the restaurant, they were the only ones still there and night had fallen. They had stayed long past the end of their meal, keeping an easy conversation going and laughing at anecdotes and shared mishaps. Sayaka had come to enjoy these meals after their fights, though she would have enjoyed them a lot more if she wasn't always the one paying.

As they cleared out of the restaurant and started to walk towards Sayaka's apartment, she took a sidelong glance at Kyoko. She had to admit the older girl looked nice when she actually bothered to make herself presentable. The only times she had ever seen Kyoko wear something other than her street punk clothes and Magical Girl outfit was when she went to a restaurant with her. On these occasions, Kyoko showed up in fairly attractive formal attire consisting of slacks, a blouse and a female suit jacket. If not for her wild hair tied back in its usual ponytail, she would have looked like a businesswoman. Sayaka was pretty sure that if she mentioned that, Kyoko would deck her.

The outfit looked expensive, so Sayaka was pretty certain Kyoko had stolen it and so didn't bring the topic up (not entirely true; Kyoko had paid for the clothes…with stolen money). She was just glad that the tough tomboy changed to more respectable clothes when they went somewhere nice, though she didn't know why Kyoko bothered. She had never given any indication before of caring what others thought of her appearance.

They split up before reaching the apartment complexes, Kyoko heading off for the long walk back to her side of the city where the derelict church resided. She stopped after a few yards and watched Sayaka as she shrank in the distance. She had screwed up again. She had enjoyed herself with Sayaka, so it wasn't a complete loss, but she had to get her act together soon. Well, she would have plenty of chances. Sayaka was getting better, but she was still nowhere near surpassing Kyoko.

* * *

"Ha! Beat you again!"

Kyoko rubbed her bruised ribs with a pained grimace. This was not supposed to happen. Sayaka was not supposed to win. The few times before had been flukes, but this was starting to get serious.

"Oh, shut up. Just say what you want, already. I have better things to do."

Her exasperation masked the growing sense of panic that she was feeling. Sayaka never asked for much, fortunately. She kept things simple. A few hits from one of Kyoko's Grief Seeds, or backup on her next hunt. That wasn't the problem; that Kyoko was running out of chances, _that_ was the problem. Sayaka was getting better. Of their last five matches, Sayaka had won three. What had started as a sure thing was turning into a quickly closing window of opportunity. If she didn't grow a spine, quick, she wouldn't be able to beat Sayaka again and her whole plan would fall apart.

* * *

Her heart was hammering in her chest, but she didn't have time to rest and collect her bearings. This was all going wrong. Kyoko flipped one of the few unbroken pews at Sayaka with her spear to buy herself some time, but Sayaka cut the thick wood in two without pause and sprang at her. The clang of metal on metal echoed through the grand auditorium so quickly that it sounded like the pipe organ had just fallen apart.

She should have known that Sayaka wouldn't want to keep sparring forever. The whole thing started as a way for her to improve her fighting skills. Once she was had surpassed her teacher, what was the point in continuing? It was perfectly sensible, nothing to get upset over…except that it was going to ruin everything.

Kyoko feinted and then whipped her spear around in a low strike at Sayaka's legs, hoping to sweep them out from under her, but Sayaka leapt nimbly over the attack and snapped a kick at her head that missed by centimeters. Kyoko stumbled away from her, barely able to block the flurry of slashes from Sayaka's sword. Her partner had never really learned to think on her feet like Kyoko had wanted her to, but she was right about one thing: Kyoko would eventually run out of surprises. And the uncomfortable truth was that Sayaka was faster than her.

If she stayed on the defensive like this, she was already done. But she had no opening to allow for an attack, she couldn't fend Sayaka off long enough to…let her….

The solution came to her in a flash of inspiration. She almost laughed at the simplicity of it, but Sayaka's elbow nearly colliding with the side of her head curbed that desire pretty quickly. Now or never. Sayaka would hate her for it, but…

Kyoko held her spear loosely in one hand, the other tense and ready at her side. She deflected blow after blow, waiting for the right moment… _There_. She caught Sayaka's blade squarely on the shaft of her weapon, and in the instant that her opponent's weapon was still she whipped her left hand at it. Sayaka had expected this and had already pulled her hands and the hilt of her blade out of reach—Kyoko had beaten her once before by grabbing her wrist and pulling her off balance while their weapons were locked together. But this suited Kyoko just fine. She wasn't going for Sayaka's hands.

Her fingers closed around the blade, and when Sayaka reflexively pulled back, the sharp edge sliced deep into Kyoko's palm. Blood hit the floor; an instant later, so did the sword. Kyoko looked Sayaka square in the face and knew she was grinning, knew that Sayaka understood an instant too late as the horror on her face changed to anger. Too late. Kyoko slapped the flat of her spearhead against Sayaka's side, staggering her, and in an instant had the sharp edged pressed against Sayaka's neck.

"I win."

* * *

"Damn it! Damn it!"

Kyoko was too nervous to laugh at Sayaka's childish outburst, as she normally would have done, and fortunately Sayaka was too busy kicking a pew to notice. As soon as she had finished dressing Kyoko's injury, which she would not be dissuaded from despite her bitter resentment, she had taken to stomping around the church, hitting things and cursing Kyoko for her underhanded tactics.

This match had been close. Too close. If she didn't do it now, she would probably spend the rest of her life kicking herself for her cowardice. Her hand throbbed painfully under its bandage, another reminder of what this victory had cost and that there was no way she could manage another.

Sayaka's disgruntled voice brought her attention back to the moment. "Look, I don't have enough money for dinner right now. I'll have to give you a rain check."

Kyoko barely restrained an enormous grin. Perfect.

"No good. I won now, so I want my prize now. You shouldn'ta made the bet if you couldn't afford to lose." Sayaka grumbled something that sounded insulting, but Kyoko paid it no mind. She was focusing all of her efforts on keeping her cool.

"Well, what do you want? I can't buy anything for a while!"

She'd never get another opportunity after this. She couldn't have hoped for a better setup. She would never forgive herself if she let this go by. So why was it so hard? She had no trouble charging headlong into a fight to the death, but she was finding that killing Witches was so much easier than asking for this one little thing that could potentially ruin her friendship. She was left paralyzed by doubt, stuck between action and inaction.

And Sayaka had just noticed her standing awkwardly behind her, looking like she wanted to say something.

"…What?"

Now or never. Kyoko forced herself to calm down and speak slowly.

"Well…you don't have to get me dinner or anything."

Sayaka was looking wary now, like she could sense a trap coming. "Yeah?"

Kyoko swallowed hard, gathered her nerve, and said what she had wanted to for weeks. "You could give me a kiss, instead."

Silence. The church seemed every bit the lifeless wreck that it had been when she found it. She could see the surprise and confusion in Sayaka's face. It was getting unbearable. Every second that ticked by increased Kyoko's embarrassment. Great. After years of being alone, she had finally found a good friend to spend time with, someone she could trust, and now she'd ruined it. Best case scenario, they could both just pretend this had never happened. More likely, Sayaka would bolt and be too freaked out to spend time with a girl who had a crush on her.

"Look," she finally snapped, sounding harsher than she wanted, "you don't have to do it, I just—"

Kyoko was spared the trouble of figuring out what she just was because Sayaka chose that moment to lean forward and kiss her. Kyoko was so taken aback that she barely had time to close her eyes and kiss Sayaka back before the blue haired girl pulled away. It was over so quickly…but it left her heart pounding harder than it had during the fight and her body tingling from head to toe.

Sayaka was as red as Kyoko's hair, and she guessed from the burning in her ears and cheeks that she must look the same. Several moments passed in complete silence, then:

"Th-that didn't count!" Sayaka raised an eyebrow at Kyoko's outburst. "I wasn't ready. That didn't count as my kiss."

Under any other circumstances, Kyoko would have admired the perfect imitation of her own smirk that Sayaka now turned on her.

"Tough. You have to learn to think on your feet, react to the unexpected."

Now she was using her own words against her. Was it as annoying when she treated Sayaka this way? Kyoko felt like a little kid that had been offered a treat only to have it snatched away at the last moment.

"Too bad this is our last match. No more prizes, even if you could beat me."

Kyoko's heart sank. Now she was just being cruel.

"Although…"

Kyoko raised an eyebrow, hope starting to return.

"You could buy me dinner."

A huge grin slowly spread across Kyoko's face. "Are you asking me to take you on a date?"

Sayaka shrugged. "If you want to think of it that way," she said with an indifference that was blunted by the playful spark in her eyes.

"With the promise of putting out if I do, right?"

The prudish girl gasped in indignation and slugged Kyoko on the shoulder. Pretty hard, too. "You pervert!"

Well. If that's how it was going to be, the only thing Kyoko could do was respond with an obscenely suggestive gesture that made Sayaka turn crimson.

"Oh my god, I am never going anywhere alone with you ever—"

Her next words were stifled by Kyoko's lips. She could feel Sayaka relax into the kiss after a few seconds. She could feel joy and excitement swelling up inside her, almost too much to contain. This was easy. She should have just done this to begin with instead of fucking around with the sparring matches.

Sayaka tried to look angry when they finally broke apart, but was still rather flushed and breathless. "You didn't earn that one!"

Kyoko had jumped back onto one of the empty stained glass sills, safely away from reprisal and Sayaka's huffiness. She fished a stick of pocky out of her pocket and stuck it between her teeth, bared in a wide grin.

"Since when do I play by the rules?"

* * *

A/N: Hello, everyone. After I finished my main KyoSaya story, I had the desire to write some lighthearted oneshots of one of my favorite yuri couples. "I'll See You Again" was the story that I really wanted to tell, and will probably remain my preferred fic, but there's too much potential with these two to just end with that. This is the first of an indeterminate number; I'll keep writing them until I can't come up with fresh ideas. They won't be related and won't necessarily even be in continuity with each other. This one was mild, but some of the other chapters may contain adult themes, hence the M rating. Hope you enjoy.

Addendum: I swear to God, I hate nothing more than coming up with titles. It took me hours to think of this, and no doubt I'll think it's a stupid title later. Please excuse this pointless griping, but after how much frustration I went through to name the collection of stories, I felt it needed to be shared.


	2. Morning Light

A/N: This chapter is the reason for the Mature content label. There's nothing very explicit here, but the whole story is oriented around adult themes, so if anyone is uncomfortable with that sort of material, pass this one by. More stories to come soon.

* * *

She definitely wasn't the nurturing type, but when Sayaka fell asleep snuggled against her, Kyoko found herself automatically stroking her hair out of affection. She wished she could get some sleep, but despite her physical exhaustion she was wide awake, and feeling pretty damn good. If she had had friends she would brag to them about getting laid, but there was no one she could talk to like that. Mami, Madoka and Homura…all definitely unsuited for that kind of lewd talk.

Sayaka stirred in her sleep and clung more snugly to Kyoko, drawing the redhead's thoughts back to the moment. She felt an unexpectedly strong surge of affection for the younger girl that made it hard to swallow and had her blinking away tears. Had she really been so alone all this time? How had she not noticed before?

The soft pre-morning glow that filtered in through the window surprised Kyoko. Was it morning already? Had they been up all night? She snickered at the thought.

She didn't really like the dawn. She preferred the city at night, and dawn just signaled that the rest of the boring, irritating world was waking up. Still…it was pretty to watch. A small part of her wanted to wake up Sayaka so they could watch the sun rise together after their first night together, but a much larger part sneered at her sappy sentimentality, so she let the thought pass. Besides, Sayaka was adorable when she was asleep.

The grayish morning light had softened into a magnificent pink and orange spread on the horizon when Sayaka's breath hitched and she stirred. She lifted her head off of Kyoko's chest and blinked blearily as she took in the situation.

"Morning," Kyoko said with a grin. "Sleep well after all that exercise?"

The words brought color to Sayaka's cheeks and she self-consciously pulled some of the bed sheets over her nude body.

"Were you awake all night?" she asked slowly.

Kyoko shrugged. "Couldn't get to sleep. And you're cute when you're sleeping."

Sayaka's blush somehow deepened, but she didn't shrink away from the gibe. With a pointed look at Kyoko's bare chest, she replied, "And you make a nice pillow."

Kyoko grinned and stretched her arms back behind her head, clearly and shamelessly flaunting for all she was worth. Quite the opposite of what Sayaka had been going for. She sighed exasperatedly and laid her head gingerly on Kyoko's shoulder. Kyoko could feel the tension leaving Sayaka as they lay together and she started stroking her hair again, a ghost of a smile on her lips, something sweet and tender, so different from her customary smirk.

The dawn was beautiful, and filled the room with a warm glow that revealed tantalizing hints of their bodies and faces to each other, but it was also destined to ruin the moment. There was no helping it. Morning meant that it was time to get up and do things. Mostly for Sayaka, who had to be at school in a couple of hours.

As Sayaka rushed about the room getting cleaned up and dressed, Kyoko felt a twinge of irritation that just might have been jealousy. She didn't understand why Sayaka didn't just call in sick and spend the day here with her. Her parents were out of town (there's no way they would have done this at her home, otherwise) so there was nothing stopping her. But she knew better than to even suggest it. Sayaka wouldn't be pleased by that idea. So she lay back in bed and felt her mood grow more sour as the time for Sayaka to leave got closer.

Sayaka had one foot out the door when she hesitated and turned to face Kyoko. "Hey, Kyo?"

The pet nickname, the first time she had called her that, earned a raised eyebrow but Kyoko let it pass without comment. "Yeah?"

She shifted from foot to foot, betraying her nervousness, but plunged onward with what she intended to say. "Was this just a fling? Or are we, you know…" She trailed off into a highly uncomfortable silence, unable to meet Kyoko's eyes.

Kyoko considered the question, not quite sure herself. They had been dating for a few months, now, but what _did_ this make them?

The sheet fell to the floor as she slid out of bed and walked towards Sayaka. The girl averted her eyes, cheeks quickly filling with blood, evidently still embarrassed by nudity. Kyoko took hold of her chin and turned her head back to face her. For a moment they stood in silence, both looking for something in the other's eyes.

That feeling of tenderness spread through her chest again, almost overwhelming in its warmth and need to be expressed. _She really is cute._

Kyoko closed her eyes and kissed her. She felt Sayaka's arms wrap around her back and she stopped caring about defining this. This short, sweet moment expressed more than words could have.

When they broke apart, Sayaka took a few steps back and smiled at her, and Kyoko felt herself smiling back, that rare smile that showed the gentleness within her that had been buried for years under cynicism and cruelty. But the moment passed, and time wouldn't stand still for them. Sayaka moved indecisively towards the door, and for a brief, hopeful moment Kyoko thought she might stay, but she turned and gathered her school things to leave.

As Sayaka stepped out of her bedroom, Kyoko called, "I'll be here when you get back."

Her lover paused halfway through the door. Kyoko could hear the playful smirk on her face through her words. "Will you be clothed by then?"

Kyoko grinned, the abrupt return to their usual style of wordplay putting her back in her element.

"I make no promises."


	3. Advice

A/N: Nothing special, just a little amusing concept I had floating around in my head for a while.

* * *

"You like Sayaka."

It was not a question. It didn't even have any doubt wavering in it. It was more like the creepy girl had peered directly into Kyoko's head and was merely commenting on what she saw in her usual deadpan manner.

Kyoko bristled, part of her irritation a natural reaction to the intrusion and part of it an act to cover her unease. "Yeah? So what?"

Homura flipped her hair over her shoulder in that indifferent manner that always annoyed Kyoko. Other than this seemingly habitual gesture, there was no change in her expression. Her eyes kept the same dead look that Kyoko would never admit actually unnerved her.

"You like her as more than a friend."

She could try to deny it, but why should she? What was the creepy bitch going to do about it? "You got a problem with that?" Her eyes narrowed, a sneer starting to form. "You jealous?"

Homura's expression may have been carved from granite for how much it changed. "I am not asking out of impolite curiosity, nor do I wish to cause trouble for you."

"Then why _are_ you asking?"

The dark girl held Kyoko's hostile glare with an even gaze. "I wanted to know how you plan on letting her know. What you will do to gain her affection in return."

Kyoko had had enough. "What the hell is your problem?" she snapped, jumping to her feet and grabbing a fistful of Homura's shirt, other hand already curled into a fist at her side. An instant later, her left hand was as empty as the right, and Homura nowhere to be seen. A nervous tremor shuddered through her body in the couple of seconds before she noticed someone standing behind her. Kyoko whipped around, thoroughly spooked, only to find Homura extending a box of her favorite snack, pocky, towards her.

"Please answer the question," she said in her dead monotone.

"Why do you care?" Kyoko grumbled, two sticks of pocky already in her mouth.

Homura was silent for a long, tense pause. Then, simply, "Madoka."

Kyoko stared at her, utterly bewildered by this change in the direction of their conversation. What the hell did this have to do with—

The realization, when it came on her an instant later, was so unexpected that she burst out laughing, nearly choking on a stick of pocky. She couldn't help it; this was the absolute last thing she had ever expected to find herself talking about with Homura. If someone had reacted this way to finding out that she liked Sayaka she would have fed them their teeth, but Homura weathered the derision with as little emotion as ever.

"I don't believe it," Kyoko gasped, wiping tears out of her eyes. "You're gay for that little saint, and you want me to tell you how to get in her pants?"

That did it. The flicker of irritation that passed over Homura's face was brief and mild, but it was such an extreme change for the stony faced girl that Kyoko stopped laughing immediately, feeling a sudden nervous prickle along her skin and not really sure why.

"Please do not speak of Madoka or my intentions towards her in such a crude way again." The words were polite, neutral, and underlaid with steel.

"Okay, Jesus. Ease off." Kyoko was already kicking herself for allowing herself to be cowed by the other girl. She'd have to find some way to reestablish her reputation for toughness to the raven haired girl…later.

"So," she said slowly, "if ya like Madoka and want her to know it, why don't you just walk up to her and tell her? Or better yet, sweep her off her feet with a kiss?"

"No." Homura's reply was swift and certain. "Telling her would cause her to respond with sympathy and embarrassment, but not return my feelings. Kissing her would only confuse and scare her."

There was such certainty in her words that they left no room for doubt or dissent. Kyoko believed that Homura knew what she was talking about, though she had no clue how Homura had come to these conclusions. "All right, fine. If the direct approach won't work, you're gonna have to slip in under her radar. Start spending more time with her, doing nice things for her, but nothin' outta line for a friend. Over time, you two'll get closer, and you can start being a bit romantic with her. When she starts getting sweet on you, that's when you tell her how you feel."

She absorbed all of this with rapt attention. When Kyoko had finished laying out the plan, she was silent for nearly a minute. Then, "You believe this will work?"

Kyoko shrugged helplessly. "Hell if I know. It's risky. She'll either fall head over heels for ya, or she'll just consider you a really good friend forever."

Homura blinked, the second strongest response Kyoko had ever seen from her. "I see. I will take it under advisement. Is this how you plan to romance Sayaka?"

The redhead let out a sharp bark of laughter. "Hell no, that's for saps! I'm just going to walk up to her, grab her cute ass and kiss her. If I'm still in one piece afterwards, I'll consider it a success."

"And if not?

She grinned, the long canines lending the expression an inherently savage look. "Well, I'm always up for a fight."

Kyoko could swear she saw the corner of Homura's mouth twitch upwards in a wry smile, just for a second. "Let me know how that works for you," she replied indifferently, flipping her hair over her shoulder again and turning to go.

"Hey, wait!" Homura stopped and glanced back. "Why ya askin' me, anyway? What makes you think I'd know anything about relationship advice?"

Homura was silent for a long moment. "Because I believe you will succeed in your pursuit of Sayaka. That makes you the most knowledgeable on these matters.

Kyoko watched her walk away with a mixture of amusement, irritation and a hefty amount of confusion. She wondered what Sayaka would think of Homura going after her best friend. Well, she could find out on her own; Kyoko was perfectly happy to watch the fireworks, but she didn't want to set them off herself, lest she get burned.

It did raise a point of some significance, though. Kyoko had better make her move soon; whatever temper Sayaka was in after she finally found out about Homura and Madoka, it was sure to make approaching her harder.

* * *

It was impossible to see more than ten yards through the sheets of pounding rain, so if anyone had bothered to look out of their windows they probably wouldn't have noticed the two small figures dashing through the streets. It was fortunate that at least one of them seemed to know where they were going, and within minutes they reached the only shelter they could find, an old derelict church. That the storm was a warm summer rain was fortunate, as there was no way to heat themselves inside the church, save setting fire to the old heap.

Kyoko pushed her drenched hood back and shook her head violently like a dog, whipping her soaked ponytail around and spraying Sayaka with droplets.

"Hey! Watch it!"

She favored Sayaka with a toothy grin. "You're already soaked to the bone. I could dump a bucket of water on your head and it wouldn't make any difference."

Sayaka's glare and Kyoko's smirk clashed for a few seconds, then they both broke out in laughter.

"Some first date, huh?"

Sayaka shrugged. "It could have been worse. It could have been hail."

They started laughing again, an easy, giddy laughter that comes when a bad situation suddenly seems humorous. Kyoko flopped down on a pew and kicked her sodden shoes and socks off, wiggling her wrinkled toes. Nothing worse than your feet being trapped in wet socks.

"Sorry, I don't have any dry clothes you can change into." A mischievous grin. "You can still get out of those wet clothes, if you want. I'll keep you warm." She had to throw her hands up to block the shoe that Sayaka heaved at her head. "Fine. But if you change your mind, you're going to have to make that up to me first." Kyoko had to roll off of the pew to dodge the second shoe.

She was about to escalate the situation into a much more physical battle when she caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye. There was something heaped near the altar and she was certain it hadn't been there when she had left the church earlier—she was even pretty sure that it hadn't been there when she and Sayaka had returned. Kyoko turned away from Sayaka without a word, good humor replaced by caution, and strode down the aisle to find out what it was.

What she found afforded her a sizeable shock. Stacked neatly on the dais were piles of junk food. Bags of chips, packages of taiyaki, and boxes upon boxes of pocky. Behind the snacks were two neatly folded, fluffy towels, on which rested a folded slip of paper. Kyoko snatched it up and opened it, her bewilderment changing to incredulity an instant later.

The note was simple, even painfully blunt. In a neat, precise hand was written:

_Thank you._

_ -Akemi_

_ P.S. I thought you might be in need of the towels after this storm._

Kyoko threw her head back and let out a sharp peal of laughter. Sayaka, who had followed her to the altar and was just as confused as she had been, snatched the note, her expression changing to a frown.

"What does this mean?"

The redhead was having trouble regaining her breath as new chuckles kept breaking out. When she got control of herself, she tossed one of the towels over Sayaka's head and simply replied, "It means my advice worked."


	4. Lover's Spat

A/N: Hey look, a story from Sayaka's perspective!

* * *

Madoka was fidgeting again.

She hadn't said anything, but her restlessness was making Homura anxious. Merely knowing that something was bothering Madoka was enough to disturb her relaxation. It was less than three minutes before she finally set her tea aside and broke off the conversation they had been having by asking, "What's wrong?" even though she knew the answer.

The small pink-haired girl looked embarrassed at being so easily read. "They're very late," she said, that soft voice of hers carrying her anxiety clearly to Homura. "I'm worried that something has happened to them."

Homura suppressed a sigh. Kyoko and Sayaka were habitually late, but Madoka always worried anyway.

"I would guess that they are late either because they are sharing a moment of intimacy," (Homura found it endearing that even such a tasteful way of mentioning sex caused Madoka to blush) "and lost track of time, or…they are fighting again."

Personally, Homura suspected the latter.

* * *

She was right.

"Jesus, Kyoko! What about this is so hard to understand?"

Kyoko was stretched out on the couch of her hotel room, lazily searching through a pile of empty snack packages for something to eat. Sayaka knew her too well to be fooled by her feigned indifference: Kyoko was just as angry as she was, and it wouldn't be long before her temper showed itself.

"I don't know, I guess the part about me not being allowed to see my girlfriend in public."

Sayaka made a frustrated noise. "Of course you can see me. You can spend time with me. You can talk to me. We can have lunch or dinner together. But you _can't_ feel me up in front of my classmates! I don't need to be outed that way!" She could still see the shocked faces of her classmates when, on the walk home, this girl that none of them knew had approached them and grabbed Sayaka's breasts from behind by way of greeting.

"Why, are you afraid of what all the little gossips will say about you behind your back?" Kyoko smirked, her fangs lending the expression a level of derisiveness that few others could achieve and that never failed to get under Sayaka's skin.

A vein ticced in Sayaka's forehead, but she didn't rise to the bait. "I was barely able to talk my way out of it, and I don't think Hitomi is really convinced."

"Screw her." Kyoko propped herself up on her elbows and glared at Sayaka. "Why do you care what she thinks, anyway? She went behind your back and hamstrung ya, right?"

Sayaka's cheeks colored. "That's not the point! And she's still my friend!" she added hastily.

"Yeah, about that…what _is_ the point?"

"You are _impossible_!" Sayaka screamed, pulling at her hair in a slightly exaggerated display of aggravation. "Why can't you just respect my wishes and leave it be? I don't want everyone to know about us! You're right, I am worried about what they'd say about me at school! You don't have to worry, it wouldn't affect you at all, but it could put me through no end of hell!"

Kyoko had gotten to her feet and was finally showing some anger in return. "You're always worrying about what other people think instead of just doing what you want! You won't live your life how you want because someone else might not like it!"

"And you don't give _any_ consideration to what other people think!"

"Why should I?" Kyoko countered with a contemptuous sneer. "What the hell do they have to do with me? I'm not going to let some assholes that I don't even know stop me from doing what I want to do."

"And what about your friends, Kyo? What about me?"

Kyoko waved her hand dismissively. "That's different. You and the other Magical Girls are actually people I like, so I'll listen to what you think."

Sayaka crossed her arms and glared triumphantly. "Except when I ask you not to out me in front of my classmates, right?"

She had nailed it. Kyoko flushed and opened her mouth to retort, but was at a total loss for words. Finally she scowled and flopped back down onto the couch, facing away from Sayaka, and ignored her. Sayaka had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep herself from laughing at Kyoko's petulant behavior.

A few minutes of painful silence passed before Sayaka's temper had cooled enough that she had begun to feel bad for yelling at her girlfriend. It's how it always went. No matter how right she was, no matter what a bitch Kyoko had been, Sayaka always started to feel guilty for fighting once her anger had subsided. She knelt at the arm of the couch and leaned over to look Kyoko in the eye.

"Why is it such a big deal to you?" she said in a much less confrontational tone. "It doesn't hurt you to be a little discreet."

Kyoko's scowl deepened, but she still didn't meet Sayaka's gaze—no small accomplishment, given how close their faces were. She didn't reply right away, but when she did Sayaka was taken aback at the tone of her voice. She didn't sound angry or petty, anymore. She sounded hurt.

"I don't like havin' ta pretend I'm just some punk kid that you made friends with. I don't wanna be your dirty little secret 'cause you don't have the guts to let other people know about us."

Sayaka opened her mouth to protest but stopped halfway through the first syllable. It was suddenly apparent to her just how much this bothered her girlfriend. The guilt she had felt squirming in her belly was now twisting her stomach in knots. The silence dragged on as Sayaka tried to find the words she needed to make this right. Nothing was coming, and Kyoko was only getting more upset as the seconds ticked by. So instead of trying to come up with the perfect words, she just started talking.

"You know I love you and that you make me happier than I've ever felt before." Kyoko snorted, still avoiding eye contact. "But I need you to respect my wishes. Now isn't the right time to let people know about…us. And when it is, I want to tell them rather than show them."

Kyoko finally let her eyes meet Sayaka's. A thin smile formed over her lips. "So…you love me, huh?"

Sayaka's heart froze as she realized that that was the first time she had directly said it. She had made plenty of vague allusions to it, of course, but she had never said the words 'I love you' out loud…until now. This was not the context she wanted to surround her first declaration of love.

Strong hands grasped the back of her head and yanked her off balance. Sayaka flailed for a moment before she found herself nose to nose with Kyoko.

"You're lucky I'm a sucker for that sappy stuff."

And with that unromantic but definitively Kyoko statement, Sayaka and Kyoko were locked in a kiss that had more passion and intensity than any they'd shared since they had made love for the first time. The fiery redhead hauled Sayaka over the arm of the couch and, after a confused thrashing of limbs, they found themselves face to face again, slightly breathless, with Kyoko on top.

Kyoko lowered her head to Sayaka's neck, and the light bite she felt just below her jaw set her skin tingling. But after a few seconds, Kyoko stopped moving completely.

"What? What is it?"

The redhead stayed motionless, but spoke from near Sayaka's collarbone. "Look…if it's such a big deal to you, I'll back off and let you handle telling your friends and family."

She felt a bittersweet twinge in her heart and wrapped her arms tighter around her girlfriend. "Thank you, Kyo."

"But," the redhead continued, and Sayaka could hear the smirk in her voice, "if I can't have any fun with you in public, that means you have to make it up to me in private."

Sayaka scowled, though she felt more amused than annoyed. "Is that all you ever think about?"

"Course not!" Kyoko answered as one hand strayed to her girlfriend's hip. "I also think about food and hunting Witches."

Sayaka couldn't suppress a snort of laughter. A moment later it turned into a horrified gasp. "Oh, no! We were supposed to meet Madoka and Homura fifteen minutes ago!"

Kyoko finally lifted her head from Sayaka's neck, glanced at the clock, then back at her girlfriend. "They can wait a little longer."

* * *

Madoka's hands flew to her mouth. "Oh, don't say that, Homura. I hope they aren't fighting again." The look of worry on her face was so heartfelt that Homura felt a twinge of possessive jealousy. "Sayaka would be heartbroken if Kyoko left her."

One of Homura's eyebrows just barely arched, a strong expression for the taciturn girl. "You think that they might break up?"

Madoka looked surprised. "Yes…don't you? They fight so much."

A rare smile tugged at Homura's lips and she decided to let it stay for a moment. "You don't have to worry about that, Madoka." She turned her gaze to the sky. "They don't argue because they're truly mad at each other."

The delicate girl's look changed to one of bemusement. "Then why…?"

Homura looked back at her and gently placed her hand over Madoka's. "It's just how they are. Do you remember how hostile they were when they first met?" Madoka nodded, confusion written all over her face. The two girls had been ready to literally kill each other, for a time. "Their feelings towards each other have changed, but not their personalities. They will always be grating against each other. But not because they are a poor match.

"It's how they show each other that they truly care."

* * *

A/N: I've had this story mostly written since I uploaded the last one, but it never felt quite right and I'm lazy so it stayed unfinished until now. It still doesn't feel perfect, but it never will and I had better upload it anyway. Part of the problem I encountered when first writing this story is the same one that gave me trouble in the second chapter of "I'll See You Again": writing an argument between Kyoko and Sayaka is very difficult. Oh, it's easy to have them argue; it's too easy. They're both volatile and abrasive. The problem is staying astride the happy middle ground between a petty squabble and a serious fight. I didn't want to write about an argument between them over something completely stupid and inconsequential, like whose turn it was to pay for dinner or who was hogging the blankets, but when writing about a more serious argument between them, it's very easy to have one of them say the wrong thing and have the argument escalate into an ugly fight. I had to keep erasing whole paragraphs because it was getting out of hand.

Keeping these two happy with each other is a hassle, but they're too sweet a couple to do anything else.

Oh, and Madoka and Homura are dating in this story; I had a bit of subtext in there implying such, but didn't feel there was a good way to make it more obvious without just going off topic. Kyoko and Sayaka were going to meet up with them for a double date.

And if you're wondering why Mami doesn't make much of an appearance in these stories, it's because I don't really like her that much. I don't hate her or anything, but she's never interested me as a character.

Well, that's enough yammering from me. I have another story in the works, and hopefully I can get it put up in a decent amount of time.


End file.
